Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1887-07-13
1HE -HaEsrEaEE sprH
Nhg I-Es4ttu- Duaaclis tlrlirto-
Har8n ssruts shzk=Isr4rc's Play

The traditions that have come down
70 US concerning Shakespeare do not, any
Of them. point 10 the habits OF a scholar
or a gentleman. The first glimpse we
have OF the family was, when John
Shakespeare, his father, was lined
twelve pence, in 1852, for maintaining
"a conspicuous sterqulnarium before
his house IN Henley street"
The first tradition we have concerning
Shakespeare himself is that OF an ale
drinking contest with the "Bidtord
topers," while yet young man, IN
which he became so beastly drunk that
he could not reach home, but slept All
night by the roadside. We are told
that he was a deer stealer, and given TO
all 'manner OF unluckiness;" and that
'.Sir Thomas Lucy had him oft impris-
oned and whipped"
The last tradition We have OF him Is
that his death was the result of
drinking bout with Drayton and Ben
! Jonson. Neither his father nor
mother could read or write. and HALT
! well Phillips doubts If there was a book
| in the house of his parents. There Is
no reference to any book or papers in
Shakspeare's will. His daughter Ju-
dlth signed her name with cross.
] 1udRlllt
| Spencer or VIM. Z. Gladstone land the
author of the plays was greater,
wiser, and more learned man than
either of them) unable to read OF
write. 1t is inconceIvable.
Shakespeare himself never claimed the
plays. He did not put his name on the
title-leaf OF It, in every case. w II
liam Shakespeare very often printed
with a hyphen, thus: ''Saake-speare,'
while the three signatures TO his VIII,
and the two others TO legal lnslru
ments, those being the only auto
graphs we have OF him, are in eacf
case, spelled Shakespeare, which mus
have been pronounced Shackspere
And this seems to lave been the ac
cepted pronunciation in Stratford. IL
the records OF the town council u
name of ShakspeaIe's father occur
1876 times, and in not one instance !
. 1t spelled Shakespeare. 1t is given a
Schacksper. Shackesper, ShakspeI
Shaxpeare and Shaxper. In 18th
, poets marriage bond ii Is "Shag'
pere."
Bacon's dearest friend, Sir Tobi
; Matthew, was undoubtedly In his s.
, cret. Sir TobIe writes Bacon lette
! in acknowledgment of the gift OF =
! great anu lOhcl, SAPPOSSN -
the Shakespeare folio of 1923, and
) adds this postscript:
The most prodigiOus Wi; that eve
/ l knew, OF my nation and of tins So
S OF the sea, is of your Lordship's nam
though he be known by another.
e Bacon, in the sixth book OF -
b, Augmentis," says:
I "As for writing, it Is performs
either by the common alphabet, whi'
o is used by everybody, or by secret al
:. private one, agreed upon ey particul
/ persons, which they call ciphers.'
: That is to say, cipher IS seer
alphabet. And We find Bacon CORE
l ponding with Sir Tobie. and referrlI
to "works OF the recreation" and
: works of the alphabet" And the
D about the time the Shakespeare folio
l623-in which, be il remembered, ha
the plays appear for the first time
about TO be published, We find BacI
s writing to Sir Toble that it is time
: put the alphabet in Frame" VIII
was the frame2 The folio--for shs
: show that the cipher depends on Il
paging of the folio, and the paging
, as a frame to the next.